10 years ago, ‘influencer marketing’ still mainly consisted of getting celebrity endorsements to reach as wide of an audience as possible. Like traditional television ads, brands would leverage the prominence of a few individuals to cast a wide net, spreading their carefully crafted message to thousands of consumers. The strategic problem is that, while many people are exposed to your brand’s advertisement, are they the right people? Why spend so much time and energy into designing the perfect message with the perfect brand representative, only to spend money on reaching the wrong audience?
Today, influencer marketing is the latest innovation in the ongoing digital marketing revolution. According to an article from Ad Age, ‘It doesn’t matter how many followers you have for a campaign if none of them are interested in what you have to say’. Rather than reaching a set amount of impressions and engagement metrics form a single, large-name influencer, brands are shifting towards developing relationships with smaller influencers with more dedicated followers. “Influencer marketing is unique because it allows brands to connect with niche audiences at scale, similar to word-of-mouth marketing or a recommendation from a friend,” said Brad Stewart, Director of Influencer Marketing at Division-D. “By carefully developing partnerships between brands and influencers, Division-D in turn helps brands create authentic connections with consumers.”
These smaller influencers with more passionate followers are known as micro-influencers, and their power in strategic marketing plans is expected to keep growing in 2020. The key to success is reaching these influencers and working with them, rather than having your message overpower their organic content. “Whether it is a sponsored product post, a product review, or a long-term brand ambassador partnership, advertisers see success by investing in and developing relationships with influencers,” said Stewart. “Dictating expectations and key talking points at the beginning of a partnership gives the advertiser confidence in the end results while allowing the influencer the necessary room to craft authentic messaging in their own voice. At the end of the day, the influencer gained their following though their own unique content and communication style, and the audience has come to expect nothing less from each and every post.”
Influencer marketing is a powerful tool, but like any digital marketing tactic, it is used most effectively in conjunction with a strategic mix of other tactics. “Division-D provides brands and advertisers a full service offering with a streamlined process including brand discovery, brand fit and fraud vetting, and detailed campaign reporting,” said Stewart. “Combined with our full-service digital offering, brands can create a streamlined, omnichannel digital strategy through a single point of contact.”
Information for today’s blog came from the article “Ok Boomer: Influencer Marketing in 2020” on Ad Age. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see more posts like this and stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends!
